Philemon 1:1

THE EPISTLE OF PAUL THE APOSTLE TO PHILEMON.

Chronological Notes relative to this Epistle.

-Year of the Constantinopolitan era of the world, or that used by the Byzantine historians, 5570.

-Year of the Alexandrian era of the world, 5563.

-Year of the Antiochian era of the world, 5554.

-Year of the Julian period, 4773.

-Year of the world, according to Archbishop Usher, 4066.

-Year of the world, according to Eusebius, in his Chronicon, 4290.

-Year of the minor Jewish era of the world, or that in common use, 3822.

-Year of the Greater Rabbinical era of the world, 4421.

-Year from the Flood, according to Archbishop Usher, and the English Bible, 2410.

-Year of the Cali yuga, or Indian era of the Deluge, 3164.

-Year of the era of Iphitus, or since the first commencement of the Olympic games, 1002.

-Year of the era of Nabonassar, king of Babylon, 809.

-Year of the CCXth Olympiad, 2.

-Year from the building of Rome, according to Fabius Pictor, 809.

-Year from the building of Rome, according to Frontinus, 813.

-Year from the building of Rome, according to the Fasti Capitolini, 814.

-Year from the building of Rome, according to Varro, which was that most generally used, 815.

-Year of the era of the Seleucidae, 374.

-Year of the Caesarean era of Antioch, 110.

-Year of the Julian era, 107.

-Year of the Spanish era, 100.

-Year from the birth of Jesus Christ according to Archbishop Usher, 66.

-Year of the vulgar era of Christ's nativity, 62.

-Year of Albinus, governor of the Jews, 1.

-Year of Vologesus, king of the Parthians, 13.

-Year of Domitus Corbulo, governor of Syria, 3.

-Jesus, high priest of the Jews, 3.

-Year of the Dionysian period, or Easter Cycle, 63.

-Year of the Grecian Cycle of nineteen years, or Common Golden Number, 6; or the first after the second embolismic.

-Year of the Jewish Cycle of nineteen years, 3, or the first embolismic.

-Year of the Solar Cycle, 15.

-Dominical Letter, it being the second after the Bissextile, or Leap Year, C.

-Day of the Jewish Passover, according to the Roman computation of time, the IVth of the ides of April, or, in our common mode of reckoning, the tenth of April, which happened in this year on the day after the Jewish Sabbath.

-Easter Sunday, the IIId of the ides of April, named by the Jews the 22d of Nisan or Abib; and by Europeans in general, the 11th of April.

-Epact, or age of the moon on the 22d of March, (the day of the earliest Easter Sunday possible,) 25.

-Epact, according to the present mode of computation, or the moon's age on New Year's day, or the Calends of January, 2.

-Monthly Epacts, or age of the moon on the Calends of each month respectively, (beginning with January,) 2, 4, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 9, 11, 11.

-Number of Direction, or the number of days from the twenty-first of March to the Jewish Passover, 20.

-Year of the reign of Caius Tiberius Claudius Nero Caesar, the fifth Roman emperor, computing from Augustus Caesar, 9.

-Roman Consuls, P. Marius Celsus and L. Asinius Gallus, who were succeeded by L. Annaeus Seneca and Trebellius Maximus, on the 1st of July.

PHILEMON

Paul's salutation to Philemon, and the Church at his house,

1-3.

He extols his faith, love, and Christian charity, 4-7.

Entreats forgiveness for his servant Onesimus, 8-14.

Urges motives to induce Philemon to forgive him, 15-17.

Promises to repair any wrong he had done to his master, 18, 19.

Expresses his confidence that Philemon will comply with his

request, 20, 21.

Directs Philemon to prepare him a lodging, 22.

Salutations and apostolical benediction, 23-25.

NOTES ON PHILEMON.

Verse Philemon 1:1. Paul, a prisoner of Jesus Christ] It has already been noted, in the preface, that Paul was a prisoner at Rome when he wrote this epistle, and those to the Colossians and Philippians. But some think that the term prisoner does not sufficiently point out the apostle's state, and that the original word δεσμιος should be translated bound with a chain: this is certainly its meaning; and it shows us in some measure his circumstances-one arm was bound with a chain to the arm of the soldier to whose custody he had been delivered.

It has also been remarked that Paul does not call himself an apostle here, because the letter was a letter of friendship, and on private concerns. But the MSS. are not entirely agreed on this subject. Two MSS. have δουλος, a servant; the Codex Claromontanus and the Codex Sangermanensis, both in the Greek and Latin, have αποστολος, apostle; and Cassiodorus has αποστολος δεσμιος, Paul, an imprisoned apostle of Jesus Christ. They, however, generally agree in the omission of the word αποστολος.

Unto Philemon our dearly beloved] There is a peculiarity in the use of proper names in this epistle which is not found in any other part of St. Paul's writings. The names to which we refer are Philemon, Apphia, Archippus, and Onesimus.

PHILEMON, φιλημων. Affectionate or beloved, from φιλημα, a kiss; this led the apostle to say: To Philemon our DEARLY BELOVED.